


The Aftermath

by cr0wniny



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, bazsimon, carry on, rainbow rowell, simonbaz, slightly angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:29:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8981899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cr0wniny/pseuds/cr0wniny
Summary: In the shoes of the former Greatest Mage after his departure from Watford.We're all a work in progress, and Simon is learning to cope with him being one too.(Magic-less yes, but not missing love. In fact, surrounded by an abundance of it.)





	

#  SIMON

* * *

 

Penny has decided that the perfect way to wake me up every morning is to obnoxiously sing along to the Top 40 in the shower, scrubbing her hair away to electronic beats. The music bursts outside the bathroom walls, threatening to explode and corrupt the apartment in it’s unappreciated presence.

Just like me. Well, how I used to be. Uncontrollable and not prepared for anything, my magic bubbling up at the back of my throat constantly. Sparks within me always flying; I smelled like a house that just erupted into flames. Now though, all of that is gone. I don’t feel that itch, that compulsion. I’m just Simon Snow, with wings and a devil’s tail that Penny needs to spell invisible each day before I leave the complex.

Even though I try not to, I’m always thinking about Watford. A good dozen or so times a day, even though the magickal psychologist always reminds me during our Skype sessions that though processing and understanding what happened in the past is healthy, attempting to move and carry on with my current change in lifestyle is also crucial. Something about me accepting what I am now, and not still holding on to what I was for years. No longer The Chosen One; The Greatest Mage. Even Mini Mage feels better than this. Than being nothing, and knowing that all this time, you weren’t ever meant to be something.

I wonder what the Mage would think of me if he were still alive. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to visit his tomb without breaking into tears, even if I do muster the courage to go back to Watford after the Ball. I only went for Baz after all, I couldn’t let him be alone at the banquet having a one-sided discussion with the cherry punch about Latin verbs. Dev and Niall, his former comrades back when we spent the years at Watford loathing each other to no end, won’t even look him in the eye anymore. I guess dating, kissing, and teaching your long-time enemy how to slow dance in front of the entire staff and student body will confuse a mage or two.

Baz’s lips have never tasted so sweet, even though the slight taste of blood still lingered.

Penny walks out of the bathroom fully dressed and ready for the day. After spending years with her wearing the Watford uniform, seeing her in Normal clothing feels stranger than it should. It is odd. The ordinary Normal I’ve become feels like there’s no life or spirit inside my body. Feeling a lack of green constantly tickling at my fingertips feels more soul-sucking than relieving.

“You’re seeing Baz today, right?” She asks, ringing her hair out with a coral coloured towel.

“Guilty as charged. I think we’re going to go hunting for rats as a date.” I retort back, rolling out of my mattress. (I was only half-kidding.)

Penny bursts out laughing, grabbing her wand from the nearby table and using a cliché to make her hair fully dry. She still has her magic, and her abilities aren’t to be undervalued either. Penny’s wits and stubborn nature are the reason why I was still alive by final year.

“He’s not allowed here for more than five minutes when he comes to pick you up, the PDA has gotten to dangerous levels. I could go into cardiac arrest from the display.”

“Your makeup for the Halloween party you threw nearly had him attacking you. I think you’ve managed to guilt him away from here for a while.”

“How was I supposed to know that vampires are attracted to makeup that is meant to _imitate_ blood, but not _be_ it?”

“Baz was hungry at that moment, he practically looked starved when he arrived at our door.”

“For crimson body fluid, not cheap face paint. Now, breakfast?”

* * *

At Watford, I’d stuff myself with those buttery sour cherry scones each morning. Now, it’s pancakes from the instant-mix bottle. Add water, shake it up, and then cook them on the stove. Penny does it all; I’ve burnt more things than our fire alarm cares to detect anymore. She could just magickal them up, but she’s been using her magic less and less these days.

I think it’s because of me, though I hope it isn’t. I didn’t want everyone to feel compelled to change their lifestyle because of me. Baz hasn’t, although he really has no option. No blood, no life; literally. He rarely uses magic in front of me though, and doesn’t even talk about the magickal world that much too. That position is probably reserved for Penny; those two can talk about new spells for days. Watford, the battle, the Mage, Ebb, even Agatha probably partying away in sunny San Diego all are topics we choose to not discuss on the daily. Especially not Baz’s mother, except when he brings her up first. Sometimes he cries. Often, he gets so consumed in bitterness and grief that he goes off on a verbal rampage. Always, he feels better at the end.

Now we’re in London. Living lives without being tangled up in political rampages and corrupted shadows created by yours truly set to destroy the magickal world. So Normal, days too actionless. My magic’s gone, I’m not a mage. It wasn’t the fellow classmates we really missed, it was the daily usage and stress of how _good_ and _valuable_ magic is. _Importance_ behind magickal history and magickal spells. The war between the families ended, and the “Greatest Mage” won’t ever be able to access those feelings of exhilaration anymore when we performed spells, fought dragons, and held hands through catacombs and rushing streams. Living through hell and back, surviving somewhat mentally stable and miraculously alive, doesn’t always mean the aftermath is pretty too. You’re left craving what hurt you; excitement. When it leaves, you realize how much it drove you to keep moving forward.

But, I can make coffee using the espresso machine, fight Penny’s character on our new Wii, and grasp Baz’s chilly hand whenever and wherever I please. Those are Watford-free, Normal only advantages; Simon Snow selective perks.

A knock at the door is heard, and I hear the tapping of oxfords only a certain black-haired boy would own.

I dash to open it.

“Hey.” Baz says, kicking his shoes off onto our welcome mat. His grin is contagious and his hair is gelled into a quiff, just like it was our third-year.

I can’t stop myself from smiling right back at him.

Penny is observing us (as always), and even she can’t help but chuckle quietly to herself.

Us three, together at last. Watford was merely chapter of our lives, though it’s importance remains strong; memories were formed there will last and burden us for a lifetime. Watford though, the World of Mages, wasn’t somewhere that we’d all be glad to remain at forever. Especially after this year, after all that happened. Our home was somewhere else. Beyond the magickal sphere, and much greater and joyful than we ever could’ve dreamed of for ourselves.

Here, it became here.

Penny’s energy, London’s air, and Baz’s love became home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! <3 I hope it wasn't too too sucky.


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